Just Feel Better
by Hazi
Summary: She was a burst of energy without a focus, and her heart held an uncontrollable fire. But then he entered her life. Rokuro brought a balance she needed. He captured her heart and broke it, leaving her childhood friend to pick up the pieces. Kaka/FemNaru.
1. A Beginning

Naru is a year younger than Kakashi and the first child of Namikaze Minato. This story begins with the Suna-Oto Invasion, but will be told in a non-linear fashion that is easily understandable.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

xxx

Under normal circumstances, more than a single medic-nin would be tending to her injuries.

How I wished today had been normal.

Entering that hospital room was easy enough, but what I saw beyond that door caused my heart to skip a beat. I was conscious of the fact that there were three other patients in the tiny room, but my eyes immediately locked onto her. A purplish bruise was beginning to form on her tanned face. It scared me. I had never seen her with an injury that lasted for more than five minutes, due to her special chakra. That her body still showed signs of her fight spoke of the amount of pain she was in.

Her blue eyes were clenched shut in an effort to block out the world around her. I crossed the distance from the door to her bedside in three strides. There were no chairs in the room that weren't already being used, so I settled for kneeling on the ground beside her. I took her left hand in mine. Her eyes flickered open as she tried to smile up at me, but it quickly turned into a grimace as a wave of pain washed over her.

The medic-nin glanced up from her work briefly, but returned to it the moment she recognized me. Rin was a good medic. If anyone could pull off the impossible, it was her.

"How is she?" I asked, not completely certain if I wanted to know the answer.

Rin didn't look up to reply. "I don't know," she admitted. "Her red chakra is causing more harm than good. Naru's trying to slow it as much as she can, but I'm not sure if it will be enough. The chakra is trying to heal her punctured lung, which is good, but it's also trying to flush out the baby. I'm trying to work alongside the chakra in healing her lung to keep her breathing." She paused as she shifted her hands a bit. A frown made its way onto her face, setting me on edge.

"Do you need me to seal off the red chakra?" I asked in an effort to get her speaking again.

Rin quickly shook her head. "I spoke with Sakumo-san about that when he brought her in. Naru is only twenty-seven weeks along. By the time he got her here, her cervix was already beginning to dilate. Cutting off the red chakra would only endanger Naru's life. I'll do everything I can for the baby, but I can't guarantee anything."

"She'll live," a weak voice ground out. I glanced down at Naru and squeezed her hand gently. In response, she held mine tightly.

Rin looked down at her with pity, but continued to do her task. Naru's other hand rested on her belly as she focused on protecting her child from the foreign chakra. There was little I could do because of my lack of medical knowledge.

"Damn Suna," I muttered under my breath.

Rin glanced up. "I'm sorry that we don't have anyone else to spare."

I shook my head, effectively ending the short conversation. I hadn't meant to criticize the hospital for being short on staff. It wasn't their fault that the building was being overloaded with injured civilians and ninja alike. The invasion hadn't left anyone unscathed. Hell, I'd just brought my three students in to be looked over.

I'd been lucky to catch Dad running in the other direction, a young Hyuuga in his arms. I hadn't had time to question him as he pointed me toward the room Naru shared with three other patients.

I was about to ask Rin something when the room's door crashed open behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see a young Chuunin panting, his arm resting on the doorframe.

"Ka-Kakashi-sempai," he said between breaths. "Is… is it true? Is Rokuro-sama really dead?"

The room immediately fell silent. Even the other patients gathered had turned their attention to the man at the door.

I turned to face the man, unfortunately revealing Naru's face to him in the process. The Chuunin instantly paled.

"Na-Naru-sama?" he stuttered over her name, eyes wide.

I looked back at Naru. Her other hand had fallen to her side as she stared at the Chuunin blankly. As her eyes grew distant, Rin began to panic. One of her hands immediately flew to Naru's belly as she performed a quick jutsu that I recognized as a diagnostic.

Curses poured out of her mouth as she glared up at the man in the doorway murderously.

"I don't care what they say," she ordered. "Go find another medic. Tell them Rin says to get their ass in Room 318 NOW!" When he paused in fear and confusion, she snarled, "Get moving, idiot!"

I stared at Rin with wide eyes. Before I could say anything, sharp nails dug into my palm. I looked down to see that Naru had turned her head to the side to bury her face in a pillow. Her chest heaved up and down heavily as she tried to take in as much air as she could in one breath.

"Naru, please," Rin begged. "I know it's hard, but I need you to help me. Your child is coming far sooner that I thought she would, but I want you both to live. I need you to-"

A sharp sob cut the medic off. I watched helplessly as tears began to spill down Naru's cheeks.

"He's dead," she whispered. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her jaw clenched. It was clear that another contraction had hit. "I can't, I can't do…"

"You can," I said, reaching over to brush her blond bangs out of her face. Rin shot me a look in an effort to tell me that we needed to get moving. I tried to ignore her for a moment. "Please, Naru, look at me."

She lifted her left eyelid ever so slightly until I was able to see a faint glimmer of a blue iris.

"Be strong for your child's sake," I urged her. "For Rokuro's sake." _For my sake_.

She didn't give any verbal indication that she had heard me, but after a moment passed, I felt her grip on my hand tighten. Naru's gaze flickered to Rin, and she gave her the barest of nods. A small smile crept up on my face at my childhood friend's resilience.

"All right, then," Rin said quickly. "Now follow my instructions. Don't begin to push until I tell you to. The other medic should be here shortly."

As if on cue, the door to the room opened once more as a young girl of no more than eighteen entered, immediately appearing at Rin's side. At once, Rin began to order the young girl around, having her focus on Naru while she kept her own attention on the child about to be born.

The other three patients tried to offer their assistance, but Rin refused them, telling them it was a delicate matter. Several tense minutes passed by, filled only with the sounds of Naru's labored breathing and Rin's instructive, yet gentle voice as she guided the soon-to-be-mother through the process.

The quiet could only last for so long, though. It was obvious when Naru's next contraction hit.

For the first time since I arrived, she screamed.


	2. Words Unsaid

She was enjoying a rare night of peaceful sleep when a light interrupted her dream. Cracking an eye open in an effort to locate what had disrupted her slumber, she noticed that the sun was peaking in through the curtains. With a half-hearted groan, she rolled over to turn her back to the offending light.

She was stopped, however, when she collided with another body in her bed. A hand reached up to rub the spot where she had accidentally elbowed him in the face.

"Morning to you, too," he grumbled as he made sure she hadn't broken his nose with her surprisingly strong blow.

"Sorry, 'Kuro," she muttered while moving into a sitting position. She was awake now, and probably wouldn't be getting back to sleep. A quick glance at the alarm clock that sat on their nightstand told her they would have to be up and about within twenty minutes anyway.

"Nah, no worries," he replied, joining her as he too sat up. They spent a few minutes enjoying the slow process of waking up. Being ninja, they frequently had to be prepared for anything within five minutes of the alarm going off in the morning.

Today was an exception. The third and final phase of the Chuunin Exams was to begin at eleven o'clock, leaving them with four hours to relax and enjoy the slow-paced morning.

As Naru thought about the day ahead, Rokuro surprised her by taking her hand in his. She looked over to him curiously to see him smiling slightly, though his gaze didn't meet hers. She didn't need to follow his line of sight to know that he was looking at her pregnant belly.

"How's the little tyke treating you?" he wondered aloud. She smiled at him.

"Fairly well, considering I didn't wake up once last night," Naru replied, and then suddenly made to move off the bed, and quickly began scurrying to the bathroom. Rokuro's laughter followed her.

Emerging from the bathroom five minutes later, she saw that Rokuro had changed into his standard clothing for the day while she had been occupied.

"Should've seen that one coming," she said, rolling her eyes as she passed him.

She didn't quite make it to the dresser as she had been intending because Rokuro seemed to have other plans. His arm caught her before she could pass him completely, and he pulled her into a light hug. He wrapped his arm around her so that her back was against his torso, his hands clasped in front of her, head resting on the crook of her neck.

Naru leaned back into the embrace. "You're awfully happy this morning," she noted as a smile graced her lips.

"What can I say?" he said. "I'm married to the most beautiful woman in the world." His head tilted to the side as he pressed a soft kiss to cheek. "And you're carrying our daughter."

Rokuro's hopelessly romantic side made an appearance once every so often, and Naru never ceased to be amused by it. Rolling her eyes, she turned around swiftly in his loose embrace and captured his mouth with hers. The kiss was short, but meaningful.

She pulled back from him after a moment, her hands on his shoulders.

"I really do need to go shower," Naru said. Rokuro raised a dark eyebrow. "I stink," she clarified, hoping he would let her go. With a light chuckle, he released her so that she could carry on with her morning routine.

He made to leave the room to give her some privacy. On his way out, he glanced over his shoulder. "Anything you want for breakfast?"

She didn't look up as she dug through her drawers for something to wear. "I love your pancakes," she informed him as she held up a shirt.

Rokuro shook his head with another chuckle and left the room.

xxx

Two hours later found Kakashi seated on a windowsill in the Hokage's office. His sensei was skimming through some reports as Jiraiya leaned against the wall behind him. The minutes ticked by slowly, and each passing second seemed to move slower than the one before it.

Finally, Minato looked up from his paperwork.

"Something just doesn't feel right," he grumbled in annoyance, resting his head on a palm. "We need to be prepared for anything."

"And we already are," Jiraiya replied, still not moving from his spot. "There's only so much we can do on suspicion alone, especially with the Exams being held here. Canceling them outright wouldn't bode well for any of our relations. Come off it, Minato, we're as ready as we're going to be."

Abruptly, Kakashi's sensei threw himself at the back of his chair and let out a frustrated groan. The silver-haired Jounin knew that Minato was a worry-wart of the worst kind. If the blond-haired man wasn't aware of everything that was going on, he fretted over the situation like a mother hen. Kakashi could barely understand how Kushina managed to put up with the man.

"I just wish one of your spies had picked up on something more than just a rumor," the Hokage sighed. "It's no one's fault; I just wish we had more information on the upcoming events."

Jiraiya finally moved from his post at the wall and came up behind Minato's chair. Resting an arm on it as he looked down at the slumped form of his student, he said, "Calm down." Jiraiya usually wasn't the voice of reason, but putting up with Minato for three hours had begun to wear on him. "Don't get your panties in a twist," he threw in for good measure, to which his student replied with an indignant sputter.

Kakashi chuckled a bit. "He's right, sensei. The safe houses are ready for immediate use if need be, and all of the Jounin and above are aware of Jiraiya-sama's suspicions. We'll be prepared if anything goes wrong."

Seeing Jiraiya with a smug look on his face at having the silver-haired Jounin back him up, Minato relented. Everything was in place and he knew it. Deciding a change in topic was necessary to pass the remaining minutes until he had to begin greeting foreign dignitaries, he turned the spotlight on his student.

"So, Kakashi," he began at length, gaining a curious look from the ex-ANBU, "how do you think your students will do today?"

The silver-haired man snorted in response. "They'll meet each other in the finals," then, putting a hand to his chin in an overly-exaggerated gesture, continued, "though I'm not quite sure which two it will be."

Jiraiya laughed. "Cocky, huh?"

Minato hid his smile with a roll of his eyes.

"Nope," Kakashi replied. "Just confident," he added with a wink.

"Arashi's been coming along quite well," Jiraiya commented. "I've been overseeing his studies when I can make time—"

"Aren't peeping at the bathhouse, you mean," Minato supplied helpfully.

"That," Jiraiya nodded firmly, proud of the fact, and carried on. "Everyone'll be in for a real surprise today at the arena."

"I should hope so," the Hokage said. "We've many people to impress."

Jiraiya nodded and continued to speak with his student about the coming matches. Kakashi tuned them out for a while as he looked out the window, down on the large expanse of the city. People of all sorts were bustling up and down the roads. There was hardly a spot he could see from his perch where there wasn't a civilian or ninja. It had been awhile since he'd bore witness to the Chuunin Exams; he'd almost forgotten how busy everything became.

He was vaguely aware of the conversation between his sensei and Jiraiya, but after five minutes of tuning them out, he heard one of his friend's names mentioned.

Glancing back at the duo, he asked, "Where's Naru going to be?"

The two men looked surprised by Kakashi's sudden reentry into the conversation, but Minato was quick to respond.

"She and a few other Jounin are going to be at the Academy," he said. "She was planning on volunteering there today anyway. Classes aren't canceled for the Exams, and she wanted to help."

Kakashi nodded. He hadn't seen her in the past few days due to his team's last minute training, and the fact that their schedules hadn't overlapped in a while. He doubted that he would get to see her before the Exams began, but if things went awry as Jiraiya's informants had suggested, he hoped she would be safe as a result of not being on the frontlines. The nice thing about the Academy was that there were several underground routes that attached it to the safety of the Hokage Mountain's interior; it was a quick evacuation route.

That knowledge comforted him, and he nodded once more before returning his attention to the window again.

Minato began talking to his sensei, but Jiraiya didn't immediately fall back into the conversation. For a brief moment, his gaze lingered on Kakashi, a concerned look on his face. But then Minato made an exclamation about Icha Icha in an effort to regain the white-haired man's attention, and in a flash, his curious thought about Kakashi was cast from his mind.

xxx

The Exams were about to begin when they went their separate ways. Fifteen minutes before eleven, they parted ways at the Academy. Rokuro pulled her into a hug and she kissed him briefly before pulling away. She offered him a smile as she disappeared into the building, promising him that she would be careful, and telling him that she loved him. Being Jounin, they were both aware of the precautions the Hokage had taken to ensure the safety of the village.

She had felt unnerved all morning, and had been acting out of character. Rokuro had caught onto it, she figured, if her lack of response to his unusual attention was anything to go by. She hadn't meant to act as she had, but she felt oddly disconnected with her surroundings. As the door to the Academy was swinging closed, she caught a glimpse of Rokuro walking away toward the stadium. She felt that she should reach out to him, but didn't know what good it would do either of them, other than put her more on edge.

Sighing, she watched the door close fully and began walking down the hallway toward Iruka's classroom. Her thoughts drifted away from Rokuro as she began to think about the lessons the younger Chuunin had in store for his students.

She would see him again.

But he wouldn't be alive.


End file.
